Seamstress to Star
by Survivor at midnight
Summary: Six high school girls are taken up from the low jobs they were working and offered a chance to make it big as a singing, dancing, performing group. What happens if their new boss just so happens to be the biggest band of the year's manager? I Don't own Naruto, or any other songs I happen to mention inside. SasuSaku NaruHina NejiTen ShikaTema SaiIno OCxOC
1. Chapter 1

Sakura, Tenten, Hinata, Ino, Temari and Miharu were working the late shift that Saturday evening, finishing up a few dresses for a customer's wedding in a couple of days. Sakura Haruno, age fourteen, easily recognizable with her bright pink hair held back by a red ribbon. Hinata Hyuuga, age fourteen, deep indigo hair and pale white eyes. Ino Yamanaka, age fourteen, long platinum blonde hair in a long ponytail. Tenten, age fifteen, trademark twin buns in her rich chocolate hair. Temari Suna, age fifteen, her sandy blonde hair in four spiked ponytails. And Miharu Chiba, age fifteen, long dark (so much so that it was almost black) brown hair and a rose tattooed on the back of her neck.

All of them by the age of five had no family left, either because they were all dead or no one wanted them. Lucky as they were, they found each other, and began to work in Sakura's late aunt's tailoring shop. Sakura's aunt had passed away a few years ago, almost five years after they had first come in asking to help when they were seven and eight. Now, almost seven years later, they were still running the shop, illegal though it was for minors to own and operate a working facility. Her aunt worked during her last months to make sure that the girls kept the place open and taught them everything that she knew about being a seamstress.

Though they worked, they still went to school during the week, splitting up so half of them ran the shop while the other half went to school, and switching every day so everyone worked equal time. To deal with tests, they opened later on Saturdays and sometimes spent up to three hours completing missed tests and quizzes. All of them always passed, they were by no means dumb or stupid. All of them graduated at the top of their classes every year, regardless of the fact they were absent half of the year. The principal of the previous grade school they attended even made them valedictorians, complementing them on their straight-A grades while being absent half of the time, and even putting in a word for them to excuse the absences when they were applying for Konoha High, the best high school in the area. They immediately got accepted and were given certain passes that allowed for the Saturday tests, the absences, and even offering to cut the tuition in half for them and to supply books and anything else they might need for the school year. To the teacher's surprise, though, they declined the school supply offer, having adapted to the method of memorizing almost every word that came out of the teacher's mouth and in turn teaching the other three who were at home for that day. So they had started high school this year, and already they were through the first quarter. Tonight though, they were having their own little party listening to the radio while working on their projects.

"OMG! This is my favorite song!" Ino suddenly called out as Beyonce's song _Irreplaceable_ began to play. Jumping up, she blasted the radio full on before dropping her work and singing perfectly alongside the star's voice.

Tenten laughed. "Ino, almost every song known to mankind is your favorite song!" she called to her blond friend before joining her in harmony for the chorus. Miharu and Hinata chuckled at their friend's antics until the song switched to _Run the World (Girls) _also by Beyonce. Temari and Sakura's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before they both jumped up and started copying the dance moves from the video. Miharu joined them a second later, and Tenten and Ino dragged Hinata into the fray. Within seconds, all six girls were perfectly synced with the music, singing and dancing, not noticing the door open and close again and two women walking to the front counter. The first one, a busty blonde, watched the scene with amusement twinkling in her eye. The other, a short-cropped black haired woman, surveyed the teens for a second before desperately trying to stifle her laughs. As the song ended, the girls collapsed on the floor or were grasping the tables for support, laughing their heads off. Finally, the blonde woman cleared her throat, drawing all attention to her. As she spoke, her first words sent fear down the teens' spines.

"Evening ladies. I came here because of some rumors I heard off the street." The girls all looked at each other. What had happened? Were they in trouble? "People say that you girls are the best tailors in town, and I first wanted to come here and ask if you could make me a set of clothes for some of my boys." Hinata's eyes widened, recognition dawning in them.

"Y-Your b-boys?" she stuttered. Her friends glanced at her. She never stuttered unless there was something huge or important going on. Judging from the look on her face, a mix of both was going on. The blonde woman nodded.

"Yes. Here are their names and their sizes. We have a press conference coming up in two weeks, and I would like to have these done by then. Can you girls do it?" She handed Sakura a list of six names, with all the measurements on it. Obviously she knew what she was doing, as all of the measurements needed to make a complete suit were listed there. Miharu peered over her shoulder and looked at the list.

"These sizes," she said, calculating each one in her head, "are too small for grown men. They look like teen's sizes. And you said they were going to a press conference?" she looked at the two women in front of her warily.

"Err… yes… they are teens. Roughly fourteen to fifteen year olds. A currently huge band has to have some publicity to keep them on top." The blond answered. Sakura finally looked up from the list, passing it to Ino, who examined it before continuing to pass it around. Sakura locked gazes with the blonde, her eyes almost as cold as steel.

"You said you needed them in two weeks? Easily done. But what was the other reason you wanted to see us?" Sakura asked. Her voice took that commanding tone that clearly said that she wasn't afraid to fight if need be.

"Oh, yeah. I was just wondering if you girls would like a chance at the big time. Just now, all of you looked pretty good, and sounded awesome." She pulled out a card and handed it to Sakura. "If you're interested, give my workplace a call and ask for me, Tsunade, or Shizune here." she said, gesturing to the silent black haired woman. All of the girls stared in disbelief for what felt like a long time. Temari was the first to snap out of her shock.

"O-Of course, Tsunade. Thank you." Said blonde woman just smiled and walked to the door.

"In about a week, I'll send those boys over to see your progress. And if you could, try to make up your minds before our press conference. I'd be killing two birds with one stone if I could debut you alongside that band in one night." she called over her shoulder. The other woman, Shizune, looked at Tsunade for a second before turning back to the girls.

"I'm sorry if she offended you at all. She tends to be very lazy at almost anything." Shizune bowed before hurrying after Tsunade, leaving the girls wild with thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Sakura's head was still hurting as she thought of the unlikely turn of events that had occurred not an hour earlier. As soon as Tsunade and Shizune left, they immediately went about closing the store, chatting about random topics. After they had closed up, they went to the back and Hinata opened the door leading to the girl's rather large apartment on the second floor. Just as Ino lay down the paper with the band's measurements on the kitchen table, she snatched the paper back up and looked at the names intently. Anyone could easily tell that she was scrolling through her vast archives of celebrities looking for a face to put to each name. Suddenly her eyes widened and she squealed uncontrollably. Everyone looked at her oddly for a second and waited for her to calm down. Hinata finally had enough and silenced the girl with a sharp rap to the head.

"Alright Ino, we get it. They're famous, and you probably have a ten-page report ready for us in your head. So why don't you just spit it out already? Who are they?" Miharu sighed in exasperation and flopped down on the couch. Ino took a deep breath before she straightened up.

"They are LightningStrike and they are the most popular band of all time! Six boys in all – Neji Hyuuga, guitar and backup vocals, Naruto Uzumaki, drummer, Shikamaru Nara, keyboardist, Sai, also guitarist and – get this – he designs everything related to LightningStrike, every logo, t-shirt, even their tour bus! Then there's Kenji Nakamura, bass and backup vocals, and finally, Sasuke Uchiha, lead vocalist. All of them from time to time switch up who plays what, and Neji and Kenji sometimes take the lead vocals in a song. They've been together forever, and started out as a garage band when they were seven. From there, they played concerts and got found by Konoha's largest record company, Fighter Studios." Ino stopped and looked at her friends, anticipating their reactions.

Temari blinked at her. Then she said, "Wow Ino, I think that's the shortest explanation you've ever given. I was expecting a ten-hour lecture, PowerPoint and everything." She grinned before bursting into laughter. Pretty soon, everyone was rolling on the floor again, laughing to the brink of insanity.

The next morning, they all agreed that today they wouldn't open up; instead they would work on the bands' clothes. Each girl took one band member's outfit, and they headed to the back to find the fabrics needed to complete each suit. Sakura got Sasuke's suit, Hinata got Naruto's, Ino got Sai's, Tenten got Neji's, Temari got Shikamaru's and Miharu got Kenji's. By midweek, all of the boys' suits were ready for them to try on.

Friday rolled around, and with it came a new order of clothes to be altered. While Temari, Sakura, and Tenten were in school, Miharu, Hinata, and Ino were running the shop when the outrageously large pile of clothes came through the door. The three girls gaped at the enormous bag that was unceremoniously plopped down in front of Miharu and Hinata. The figure that appeared from behind the bag was the last person any of the girls wanted to see.

"Karin. Nice of you to skip school to drop off your entire wardrobe to be made three sizes too small for you. How are you today?" Ino stepped out from behind the counter where she was working, venom dripping from her every word. Karin huffed and put her nose in the air.

"Don't you come talking to me about skipping school, Pig. You're not even there half the time. Now as for my clothes, take them all in, turn all the long pants into shorts that are mid-thigh, cut all of the shirts into midriff tank tops…" She kept on talking as the three girls stared at her in disbelief as the door to the shop opened and LightningStrike walked in. "…and cut all the long skirts into mini skirts. I need them by tomorrow."

"I hope you aren't overloading these three girls with your entire wardrobe. They're supposed to be doing out suits." A loud voice spooked Karin right into the counter. Looking up, she saw LightningStrike in all of their glory, which triggered a loud squeal from the redhead.

"Y-you're L-Li-Light-" Karin looked about ready to faint, not even able to complete a coherent sentence.

"Yeah, we're LightningStrike, now can you take your clothes and leave so we can get ours?" The blonde boy who had spoken before grabbed the bag and tossed it at Karin, who stumbled back in surprise. She leapt to her feet and nodded, running out of the door with her clothes.

"Well, that was…interesting. I wonder what her problem was." The pale boy with black hair slicked down questioned to no one in particular as he stared after the girl. Ino, Hinata, and Miharu turned back to LightningStrike, who just seemed to remember what they were here for.

"So. Do you girls know where our suits are?" This time it was the boy with the long hair and the pale eyes. Ino did a double take with his eyes. _'They kind of look like Hinata's eyes. Hmmm… I wonder…'_

Miharu stepped up and sat on the counter top. "Yeah, we know where they are. Problem is, we can't get them right now. They're locked up in the back closet, and the girls who have the keys are at school today. If you want to stay and wait for them, they should be here in about half an hour. Oh and a piece of advice? You might want to hide in the back, cause' once Karin mass-texts everyone at school, everyone is going to find a way to cut the next-"she glanced at her watch, "twenty eight minuets left of class and swarm this place. It will be a lot easier for us to make them go away if you guys aren't seen." The boys turned to her with a look close to utter dread before running behind the counter and into the back. Miharu looked at Hinata and Ino, and they all burst out laughing before returning to work. Not three minuets later, Karin ran back into the store with a camera and every female within a ten-mile radius of the store. Within seconds, all three girls were trying not to get run over, or go deaf from all of the outrageous screams.

"Where are they?"

"Ohmygosh, I just have to get Naruto's autograph!"

"Bring them out!"

"I wanna hear them sing!"

"I must see Sasuke!"

"Just one kiss from Shikamaru! Please!"

Ino scowled at the stupidity of everyone crowded in their store looking for a boy band. Hinata looked at her with concern. It was not a pretty thing when Ino got upset. Climbing up on top of the counter, Ino cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "What the hell are all of you doing here? There's still twenty minuets left of school!"

"Yeah, so? What the hell are _you_ doing here? Shouldn't you be in school too?" someone from the back of the crowd yelled back at her.

Hinata climbed up besides her friend. Glaring at everyone there, she yelled right back at that person. "We have permission to not be in school today! Now _why are you here?_"

Some of the crowd backed down under both girls' glares, but even more surged forward. "We heard LightningStrike is here and we want to see them, duh!" another voice called out. A lot of the girls there voice their agreement right then and there. Miharu was the last to step up.

"Why the heck would the most popular boy band in the world be here? For all you know, they could be halfway around the world being interviewed by someone or at their recording studio! Now get out before I call the cops! All of you are a pain in my side!" Complaints were heard left, right, and center, until Hinata pulled out her cell phone. A few people got the message and ran out the store, but not many. Rolling her eyes, Hinata flipped open her cell and pretended to punch in the numbers. Putting the phone to her ear, she waited a second before pretending to talk to a police officer.

"Hello, Konoha Police Department? Yes, there are a bunch of rabid fangirls overrunning my store, and I was wondering if…" She never got to finish, as all of the girls cleared out as if the place were on fire. Smirking, Hinata put down her cell phone and hopped off the counter, Miharu and Ino following.

"It's safe to come out now!" called Hinata as she flipped the OPEN sign hanging on the door to CLOSED. The door to the back room opened, and the six boys walked out, smirking, chuckling, or full out laughing.

"How the hell did you do that? The three of you against the three hundred of them? Wow." This time, the one who spoke had long, curly brown-blonde hair and deep teal eyes. (If you can't figure it out, that's Kenji.)

"It takes years of practice with the five of them," Hinata started, gesturing to the other two behind her, who were nodding their heads slowly, "and it just so happens that those two are some of the most aggressive girls I know."

"Yup – wait what?!" both Miharu and Ino yelled. Laughing, Hinata moved towards the door that led to the girl's apartment and held it open.

"Come on, we'll order some pizza while you wait for your suits." Shrugging their shoulders, Miharu and Ino jogged up the stairs. The other boys glanced at each other.

"Well, I say let's do it. We got nothing better to do." The first blonde said.

"Hn."

"Alright."

"Troublesome."

"Sure."

"Okay then. Let's go."


	3. Chapter 3

The boys piled upstairs, and Hinata closed the door. Ten minuets later, the nine of them were eating pizza and watching the movie _Step Up_ when they heard a voice calling out from downstairs.

"Hinata! Ino! Miharu! We're back!" Sakura yelled. Ino went to the door and called down the stairs.

"We're upstairs, and we have some guests!" Holding open the door for them, Ino took some of the library books that Sakura and Tenten were juggling and set them on the table before turning around again and helping Temari with the groceries that they decided to buy today. But as the three of them turned back around, they were met with the sight of six unnamed boys lounging around their living room.

"Oh, yeah, guys say hi to our guests, LightningStrike." said Ino with a dismissive flip of her hand.

"Oi, that's how you introduce a world-famous band?" the blonde yelled. The raven haired boy next to him rolled his eyes and clocked him hard on his head.

"Idiot, shut up. You're making a scene." The blonde didn't seem that affected, though. He straightened up and pouted.

"Hey, Teme, why do you have do be so mean?"

"At least I'm not the idiot, dobe."

"What did you just call me, Teme?"

Smirk. "Dobe."

Growl. "Teme."

"Dobe."

"Tem-"

"Both of you need to shut up. You've caused enough noise for one day already." drawled a third, who's hair was up in a spiked ponytail.

By now, all of the girls were watching the scene unfold with amusement and were wishing that they had some popcorn. The pale-eyed boy turned to them and gave a small smile.

"Sorry about this. They do that often. Name's Neji Hyuuga, by the way. The blonde over there is Naruto Uzumaki, the one who punched him was Sasuke Uchiha, and the one who told them to shut up is Shikamaru Nara." The dark haired boy next to him spoke up.

"Hey. My name's Sai. Nice to meet you." The boy standing next to the couch where Neji and Sai were sitting waved a little at the girls.

"Hi. The name is Kenji Nakamura. How you doing?"

The girls were just staring at the boys, wondering how the hell they got so lucky as to get LightningStrike in their home. It wasn't until Hinata took another look at Neji that she snapped out of her stupor.

"N-Neji? Is that you?" All eyes turned to the gaping girl. Neji looked at her for a second before full out laughing.

"Yeah, its me. I was beginning to wonder if you even recognized me." Hinata mock-glared at him before snapping right back at him, grinning.

"Well so-ory! Not my fault that I barely saw you five times when we were younger!"

"Wait, wait, wait, and wait. Hinata, you know him?" Tenten looked at her friend in disbelief.

"Ooh, wait, let me do this one!" Ino suddenly called out. "Hinata, he's either your brother that you always denied having, some random kid you met once who just happened to have the same eye color as you, or your cousin. Personally, I think that he's your cousin." Hinata and Neji laughed again.

"Yup, he's my cousin. I almost never saw him as a kid, so I didn't remember until now." Temari shook her head.

"Oh wow, Hinata. Anyway, I'm Temari Suna. Nice to meet you."

"Tenten. Ditto what she said."

"Hinata Hyuuga, I'm sure you heard."

"Sakura Haruno. Hi."

"Miharu Chiba. Hey."

"Ino Yamanaka. What's – "Ino stopped short and stared off into space. The boys looked at her curiously before she began to talk again.

"Hey, weren't you guys supposed to come and see your suits today?" Everyone just looked at her for a second before they all remembered the reason for LightningStrike to be sitting in the girl's den.

"Sakura, can I have the keys to the back?" called Temari as she headed down the stairs. Sakura fished the keys out from the bottom of her schoolbag before tossing them down the stairs into Temari's waiting hands. Miharu and Tenten went back downstairs, Tenten calling over her shoulder, "Come on, guys. We need you to try on these clothes."

The boys looked at each other and shrugged. Kenji looked at the sleeping Shikamaru and hit his head to wake him up. HARD.

"Ow! What the heck was that for?" Shikamaru glared at his attacker only to see him walking down the stairs with his hands deep in his pockets, grinning like Naruto.

"What? You wouldn't wake up." Kenji grinned again and jumped down the stairs, turning to see the girl Temari opening the room in the back labeled 'Completed' that the guys saw earlier when they hid from the fangirls. The rest of the girls walked in and came out a second later with a large bag each.

"Alright, we finished these a little while ago, so they should fit. We'll fix anything else if need be." Tenten said, handing Neji his clothes and pushing him to the change rooms in the corner. Ino and Sakura laughed as Temari practically dragged the sleeping Shikamaru to the change rooms and tossed him in. Within twenty minuets, the boys came out, dressed in identical suits, and looking like gods.

Sasuke's jacket, pants, and tie were a dark blue, with the dress shirt underneath a lighter shade of blue. Naruto's wasn't that different, except that it was an entirely lighter shade of blue, making him look much more cheerful. Shikamaru's suit was a deep forest green, with a lighter green dress shirt, and Kenji's was a dark wine red with a blood red dress shirt. Neji's suit was dark grey, and Sai's was black, both had white dress shirts.

"Wow, we really outdid ourselves this time ladies." Sakura stated. The others nodded, walking around their respective boys to make sure everything was correct.

"Well, that's that. Everything completed. You guys can go get changed now." Miharu dismissed the boys, who looked at her like she had gone mad ordering them about.

"Miharu! Ignore her. But really, you guys should get changed soon. It's almost six in the evening, and we have homework to catch up on and three tests tomorrow that we need to study for." Tenten said, glancing at her phone.

"Oh shit we do? In what subjects?" Miharu freaked out till Hinata grabbed her and sat her down in a chair.

"Calm down. Tenten dearest, what are the subjects?" Tenten was already pulling out one of the few notebooks the girls owned and flipped to the back.

"Um… we have Advanced Physical Science Honors, Integrated Algebra 1 Honors, and Global History 1 Honors tomorrow, and you guys have a Foreign Language packet for homework." Ino groaned.

"Aw no, I hate Algebra!" Sakura tossed Ino a pack of flash cards.

"Don't worry; I'll help you, if you help me with Global." Ino brightened up and smiled.

"Thanks Sakura! I owe you big!"

"Ahem! We're still here!" The girls turned around, remembering the other six occupants of the room. "What do you mean you have tests tomorrow? It's Saturday tomorrow!" Naruto scratched his head. Hinata smiled apologetically.

"Sorry guys, it's a long story, and frankly, we don't have time to tell it right now." Naruto looked at her and pouted.

"How about after we finish those tests? We should all be done around lunchtime." Temari said thinking it over.

"I don't care when, as long as I get to hear the story. But how will you find us?" Shikamaru thought for a second.

"Where are you girls going and what time do you have to be there?" he asked. Miharu handed him a paper with the school address scrawled on it.

"That's the address, and we need to be there by eight thirty, nine the latest. It's a twenty minuet drive from here."

"Alright, so we pick you up, drive you there, and take you back to our place after you're done testing." Temari looked at him weirdly with a small grin on her face.

"Really? You guys would do that?" Neji nodded.

"Yeah, why not? Actually, I'm interested to know why half of you girls were here today while the other half was in school."

"Aw, thanks! You guys are awesome." Ino beamed.

"Uh, guys? Its like six twenty and none of us have studied one iota yet." Tenten pointed at the clock, which indeed showed six twenty.

"Ohmygoshweneedtostartstudyin gnowthanksguysforcomingoverw ereallyappreciateitbye!" Ino said all in a rush, pushing the boys out the door. (in the case none of you want to try to decipher that mess of words, she said 'oh my gosh we need to start studying now thanks guys for coming over we really appreciate it bye!')

"Ino, we'll be here around eight to pick you guys up, alright? Here's my number if you need to call us." Sai handed her his number before ducking down into the sleek black limo that pulled up. Ino watched them turn the corner before whipping out her phone and putting in the number Sai just gave to her.

"Ino! Come on, you need Algebra help!" Sakura called out to her.

"Coming!" she called back.

One Language packet and three utterly boring subjects later, all six girls were fast asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Hinata woke up just before the alarm went off at five. Sighing, she flicked it off, and did the same for the other five girls' clocks. She glanced out the window at the slowly rising sun before heading downstairs to prepare breakfast. Hey, the girls would like it better if they woke up to the smell of pancakes, bacon, and eggs than to the sound of six annoyingly loud alarm clocks.

Tenten woke up next, grateful for once that the alarm clocks were off. Sighing, she lay in bed and stared at the ceiling. _'Lovely. A day of tests. Thank god there is something else to do this afternoon. Is that bacon?' _She sat upright and pulled herself out of bed. Thank the heavens for the angel named Hinata. Turning, she shook Temari who was still sleeping in the bed beside her own.

"Come _on_, Tema! I wanna eat!" Temari rolled over and promptly fell off the bed, cocooned in her bed sheets.

"Ow! _What_ in the _hell_ was _that_ for, _Tenten_? You didn't have to push me, ya know! Hey, where's Hinata? And is that bacon and eggs?" Tenten rolled her eyes at the randomness of her friend's comments.

"I didn't push you, you fell out the bed. Hinata I'm guessing is in the kitchen, cooking your bacon and eggs."

"Oh, really? Cool. Lets get dressed and wake the other princesses up." Turning, she hopped onto the ladder that led to Ino's bunk, took a deep breath, and screamed loudly into her ear.

"RISE AND SHINE, INO-PIG! TIME TO WAKE UP!" Ino, promptly scared out of her mind, shot out of bed and would have fallen out of her bunk if Temari hadn't grabbed her arm.

"Oh, you're up? Good. Now get dressed, we have tests today." Temari jumped down before Ino could yell at her for screaming in her ear.

"Don't forget, LightningStrike is picking us up this morning." Tenten called from the closet. Emerging from the mess of clothes, she handed Temari one of her shirts that was deemed MIA almost a year ago. "Found your old shirt, Tema. Doubt it will fit now, though." Smirking slightly, she shook Sakura awake and headed out the door. Sakura blearily sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes.

"Wha da isit?" she slurred. Ino laughed at her.

"It's Saturday, and we have some tests to finish before our hextouplet date with LightningStrike." Sakura and Temari looked at her.

"Hextouplet?"

"What the hell is that?" Ino rolled her eyes.

"Hextouplet – six-way date." Temari and Sakura looked at her, then at each other, and at her again.

"Saku, find the nearest cell and call the nearest psychology center. Or the hospital. She might just be sick." Ino smacked her on the head.

"That was not nice, Tema-chan." Temari shrugged and began to walk out the door, Sakura right behind her. Ino suddenly saw something that made her hit the floor laughing.

"Oh, man, karma can be a bitch when it wants to!" Temari looked at Sakura again and nodded her head.

"Yup, we definitely need a psychiatrist."

"KYAAHHH!" Both Sakura and Temari fell down under a huge mass of… something.

"Ino was right. Karma can be a bitch when it wants to." Both girls looked up and saw Miharu sitting on top of them. Clearly, she had jumped from the top of her bunk, which was the closest to the door, and landed on top of them.

"You guys, what is taking you so long? Breakfast is… ready…" Hinata and Tenten appeared in the doorway and looked on the pile of girls, and at Ino who was killing herself on the floor. Sighing, Tenten pulled Miharu off of Sakura and Temari, and helped them off the ground while Hinata picked up the still giggling Ino. All of them eventually made it to the kitchen where six plates of pancakes, waffles, or bacon egg and cheese sandwiches sat, begging to be eaten. And before Hinata could say dig in, everything was half gone. Everyone finished just as Miharu spotted the limousine pulling up in front of the store.

"Come on, guys! They're here!" she called as she ran down the stairs. As they reached the awesome species of car known as the limo, the driver came and opened the door for them. The girls dived in and sat down across from the boys.

"Hey guys, thanks again for doing this for us." Sakura said.

"No problem. But remember, we want to hear this amazing story you six have for us." Sasuke smirked back at her. Before Sakura could respond, Ino cut in pulling out a huge stack of flash cards. Pulling out one, she looked at Hinata and read it out loud.

"Alright, sure, whatever, right now, we need to do a flash review. Hinata, 3(8-3t) = 5(2+t). Solve for t. Go." The boys watched in amazement as Hinata closed her eyes and pretended to write on a board. In three seconds, she opened her eyes and said, "t = 1." Pulling a new card from the pile, Hinata turned to Tenten. "Okay, Tenten, you have carbon monoxide. Ionic bond or covalent bond, and what is the formula. Go." Tenten looked up at the ceiling for a second before responding.

"Covalent, the formula is CO." Tenten pulled a card from the pile. "Temari, which of the ancient Chinese dynasties was the shortest? Go." Temari scoffed.

"Easy. Quin dynasty, 221bc to 210bc. Uh, Ino, true or false-"

"Wait a minuet!" The girls turned to Naruto, who had yelled. "What the heck is going on here? You guys just lost me." Sai stared at the girls.

"So, you mean to tell me… that you study… by pulling out random cards and quizzing each other? No paper, notes, anything?" The girls nodded.

"Yeah sort of. These cards are actually what we make during class. Anything of interest or importance we jot down on an index card and save until the last moment. We call it a 'flash review'. There's actually a whole stack of them back at our house. Midterms are coming up, and we also have finals to think about. That's why we keep them all." Miharu summed up just as the limo pulled up to the school. Sakura went into drill sergeant mode.

"Alright, the tests are a bunch of cumulative reviews, so we should be done in three hours. I doubt you guys are going to wait here, so just be back by-" she checked her watch, "-11:45 should be good. We'll call if anything happens." She ducked out of the car and ran after her friends who were already at the door. The boys watched as they disappeared into the school. Kenji turned back to his friends.

"Are any of you guys lost here? Or is it just me?" Sasuke shook his head, still smirking, and turned to Shikamaru.

"Shika, did you get any of what they were firing off to each other?" Shikamaru just stared until Neji snapped his fingers in front of his face.

"Huh… oh yeah, sort of. I was still checking – what was her name, Hinata? Yeah, I was still checking her work when the next question about compounds was being answered. What amazes me is that they were all correct. They think just as fast or if not faster than I do!" Sai blinked.

"Wow. That is just too creepy. If they go that fast, I doubt we'll be waiting here long." Picking up the pack of cards that Ino had left on the seat, he flipped through some of these. "What I don't get is how they manage to remember all of this stuff. I remember doing this a couple of weeks ago, and I forgot almost all of it. 'What are the three main monotheistic cultures and who is their main ancestor?' How the hell would I know?"

"Judaism, Islamic, and Christianity, main ancestor Abraham. We learned those two weeks ago? Maybe more…" Neji was staring up at the ceiling, trying to remember. Shaking his head, Sai flipped to another card.

"I want to see if Shika can get this right. ½ k – 3 = 2 – ¾ k." Sai looked up from the card and stared expectantly at Shikamaru.

"Troublesome…" He pressed his fingertips together. Soon, he let his hands drop and said, "k = ¼." Sai nodded. Flipping to another card, he looked at Neji.

"I will always remember how you were a history geek, Neji. Try this. How many main gods and goddesses were there in Greek mythology? Name them." Neji laughed.

"Oh man, I haven't thought of Greek mythology for like ten months! Okay, you have the main twelve…top three brothers, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, their wives Hera and Persephone,… Hephathaeus,… the maiden goddesses Athena and Artemeis,… her brother Apollo,…" he looked up. "Ah, never mind. I give up. Who were the last three?" The limo laughed. Kenji spoke up.

"I remember. Demeter, Aphrodite, and Ares. Give me one, Sai."

"Alright. Science time. What is the more common name for dihydrogen monoxide?" Sai looked again at that one, shook his head and showed Shikamaru the card. He burst out laughing.

"Oh, that is so not fair. I didn't even know that!" Kenji scowled.

"Really? You give me the impossible one?" Sai held up his hands.

"You asked for a question. I gave you the next one." Kenji sighed and closed his eyes. The car went silent, waiting to see if he could guess right. Suddenly, his eyes flicked open and he grinned.

"That question is so not fair. I bet that only legit scientists know that one off the top of their heads. The answer is water." Neji, Sasuke, and Naruto looked at him like he was out of his mind.

"Uh, Kenji?" Naruto backed off a little. "Dihydro-whatever sounds like some dangerous chemical. You sure?" Kenji laughed.

"Yeah. I remember from science how when we were naming compounds, the prefix di- means 2. Hydrogen is a gas. So now there are 2 hydrogens. Oxide is the name for oxygen when it's in a compound, and the prefix mono- means 1. So now, its 2 hydrogens and one oxygen. The symbols for that are H2O. Water." Neji laughed again.

"Where do these girls learn this stuff? And they actually remember it? I am officially impressed." The six boys stayed in the car quizzing each other until Miharu appeared behind them and knocked on the window, causing everyone to jump. The boys turned around and let the girls in.

"I think that was the easiest one yet. We were done in half the time it normally took us." Miharu commented.

"Yeah. But what really surprises me is that the boys are still here. I would have thought they left." Temari glanced at the cards in Sai's hand. She grinned. "Oh, that explains it." Sakura looked over and laughed.

"Yeah, the first time we tried a flash review was a fail. I remember that I never got anything right." Tenten sniggered.

"She thought Pythagorean Theorem was a python's cough medicine." The boys laughed. Sasuke glanced at his watch.

"Hey, it's almost lunchtime. Do you guys want to come to our place for pizza?" Sakura looked at him sideways. Sasuke sighed.

"We owe you guys for the suits and for the pizza the other day. We might as well pay you back." Kenji offered. Sakura looked over at her friends and shrugged.

"Sure, why not?" Temari thought for a moment.

"I don't see a problem with it." The other girls nodded. Well, everyone but Sakura. Miharu looked over at her pink-haired friend and saw her staring out of the window. She hit her hard over the head.

"Ow! Miharu!" She looked at her other friends. She sighed. "Oh, fine." With a huff, she turned back to the window. Tenten turned back to the boys.

"Don't mind her. She woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. But enough about that. How'd you guys like the review cards?" Naruto laughed.

"The three smartest boys here couldn't do what you girls did. Shikamaru took hours to finish a math problem, Neji completely failed on a history question, and Sasuke screwed up on a science question." The three boys glared at him.

"I didn't see you getting anything right, Naruto." pointed out Neji. Kenji snickered.

"That's true. But really, you guys all knew those facts?" Hinata nodded.

"We've been doing that sort of thing for years. These are easy. Give me one." Sai flipped through the cards.

"Wait." Sasuke interrupted, pulling out two pieces of paper and two pens. "I want to see who is faster, Hinata or Shikamaru. And I want to see the work." Giggling, Hinata took the paper and pen.

"Alright." She looked over at Shikamaru. He groaned.

"Fine." He took the paper and pen as well. Both teens turned to Sai.

"What is the product of -3x2y2 and (5xy2+xy)?" In a flash, both were scribbling so fast that the pens blurred in their hands. Ino and Miharu both had their phones out, doing the problem on their calculators.

"Done." Both Shikamaru and Hinata finished at the same time. Ino and Miharu took the papers from them and checked their work.

"Perfect. Full credit to Hinata." Miharu said, looking up from the paper.

"Same with Shikamaru. Wow." Ino looked up, impressed. "I think I want to put you and Temari against each other in a math bee. That might be interesting." Temari laughed uneasily.

"Come on, don't be ridiculous. We'd probably tie every time. And if that's the case, let's put you in a spelling bee, Miharu, and Sakura in a science bee." Sakura spun around at the mention of her name.

"Hey, don't drag me into this. I had nothing to do about it!" No one had a chance to answer, though, because the limo pulled up to a pretty mansion the size of a small condo. Naruto whooped and shot out of the car. The rest of the band followed a little more sanely, and finally the girls stepped out of the limo.


	5. Chapter 5

Just a little note. Thank you so much to kreativeangel! You're there every time I turn around! NOW ON TO THE STORY!

* * *

"Wow. That is a big house." Ino stated. The others nodded and started into the building.

As soon as they stepped in, there was a long hallway that led to a staircase, which spiraled upward to the second floor. To their left was a huge den, with a pretty LED Hi-Definition flat screen TV, almost eight couches, and a sound system that surrounded the entire room. On the left, there was the ultra-shiny kitchen, with a mini bar tucked into a corner. Looking up, the girls could see that the second floor was actually two balconies on each side of the hall, and they guessed that the boy's rooms were up there.

Kenji popped his head out of the den. "Hey, come on! Pizza's here, and so is the movie. Afterwards, we want to see you girls perform." They followed him into the den and sat down on two of the couches. Everyone grabbed a pizza, and Sai turned on _Rush Hour 2_. By the end of the movie, everyone was laughing hysterically.

"I will never understand these movie producers. They make the most ridiculous things, and yet they become popular." Tenten finally got a hold of herself. The others nodded. Neji suddenly got up and started heading out the door.

"Hey, come on upstairs. I have a feeling that you're going to like our rehearsal studio. We still have to see you girls perform." By now, all the other boys had left the den and gone upstairs. Cautiously, the girls followed them up the spiral staircase and into the first door on the left.

"Oh my WOW!" was Sakura's reaction. Tenten almost squealed out loud when she saw all of the instruments neatly packed into a corner. Ino and Miharu eyed the open floor with an almost animalistic glint in their eyes, trying to imaging how all of the dances that they had choreographed would look on this pretty dance floor.

"Do you guys mind if I plug in my iPod?" asked Hinata, heading to the DJ booth on the wall.

"Go ahead. Just don't break anything." Shikamaru answered. Hinata waved him off and plugged her baby into the port. She scrolled down her 'dances' playlist before giving up and hitting shuffle. _Burlesque_ by Christina Aguilera blasted though the speakers.

"Do you guys have wireless mics?" asked Temari. Shikamaru pointed to a corner, and sure enough, a bunch of wireless microphones were set up and ready to use. By the time that song ended, the girls were mic-ed up and ready to go. Coincidentally, the next song that played was Beyonce's new song, _End of Time_, and it was the girls' newest dance. (Tip, watch Beyonce perform this in the vevo version concert, and you can see just how they dance here. Oh, and lyrics key: _lyrics_=background, lyrics=lead, _lyrics_= both background and lead, **lyrics**=rap ~that might just be for the boys, though~)

"Miharu, take the lead vocals. We'll back you up." Temari commanded. Miharu nodded, and then they started moving.

_Come and take my hand_

_I won't let you go_

_I'll be your friend_

_I will love you so deeply_

_I will be the one _

_To kiss you at night_

_I will love you till the end of time_

I'll be your baby

And I promise not to let you go

Love you like crazy

Say you'll never let me go

_Say you'll never let me go_

_Say say you'll never let me go_

_Say you'll never let me go_

_Say say you'll never let me go_

Take you away from here

There's nothing between us but

Space and time

I'll be your own little star

Let me shine your world up

Be your own little universe

Make me your girl oh!

_Come and take my hand _Baby

_I won't let you go _Let you go

_I'll be your friend_

_I will love you so deeply_

_I will be the one _

_To kiss you at night _Kiss you at night

_I will love you till the end of time_

I'll be your baby

And I promise not to let you go

Love you like crazy

Say you'll never let me go

_Say you'll never let me go_

_Say say you'll never let me go_

_Say you'll never let me go_

_Say say you'll never let me go_

Baby come and get up on it

Show me that you really want it

I wanna be the one to love you

Baby lets go

_Ohh, ohh_

Baby lets go

_Ohh, ohh_

_I wanna provide _

_This loving that you're giving_

_I ain't fronting on this love_

_Can you let me love you_

_From head to toe_

_Ohh, ohh_

_Baby lets go_

_Ohh, ohh_

_Boy come to me _Come to me

_Let me turn your rain into sun_ Come to me baby

_You don't have to worry baby_ Oh no

_I promise I'll set your heart free_

_Let my love into your soul_

_You go_

_I go_

_We go_

_That's all she wrote_

_Say you'll say say you'll ne-never_

_Say you'll say say you'll ne-never_

_Say you'll say say you'll ne-never_

_Say you'll say say you'll ne-never _Can't you see me?

_Say you'll say say you'll ne-never_

_Say you'll say say you'll ne-never _I just wanna love you

_Say you'll say say you'll ne-never_

_Say you'll say say you'll ne-never _Can't you believe me?

I just wanna be with you

I just wanna live for you

I'll never let you go

_Bring your love to me_

_Come and take my hand _Baby

_I won't let you go _Let you go

_I'll be your friend_

_I will love you so deeply_

_I will be the one _

_To kiss you at night _Kiss you at night

_I will love you till the end of time_

I'll be your baby _Ohh, ohh_

And I promise not to let you go

Love you like crazy _Ohh, ohh_

Say you'll never let me go

_Say you'll never let me go_

_Say say you'll never let me go_

_Say you'll never let me go_

_Say say you'll never let me go_

The girls froze in their final move for a second before collapsing on the ground laughing. The reason – the boys' mouths were halfway to the ground.

"What- how did- when-" Naruto was looking between his friends and the girls, still laughing, with a look of utter confusion on his face. "How the hell are you able to sing and dance at the same time? We can barely play and sing at the same time!" Hinata picked herself up first.

"We find time to practice. It's not that hard for us anymore." Sasuke shook his head.

"The only thing now that can possibly amaze me is if you know how to play an instrument as well." Sakura's eyes shot open and she laughed again.

"Weeelll… since you mentioned it…" she broke off as Sasuke and shook his head.

"Of course. Should have seen that coming." The girls laughed and pulled out some of the instruments that the boys had. Surprisingly, they had almost all of the main classical instruments.

"Okay. So, who gets what?" Temari turned to her friends.

"I'll take piano, since I'm the only one who can actually play it." Hinata said, sitting on the bench and warming up.

"I've got cello, because we all know that I'm the best one at that." Miharu picked up the cello bow and began to rosin it. Temari rolled her eyes.

"Alright then. I'll take drums this time around. But all of you owe me big!" She walked over to the drum set and Naruto tossed her a set of drumsticks. Sakura picked up a violin.

"Aw, sweet! Perfect condition! This is so mine! Hey, Miharu, lend me that rosin, will you?" Miharu tossed her the amber crystal. Ino sighed.

"I guess this leaves me with bass." She took a pick and tuned her instrument. Tenten looked ready to burst.

"You guys just HAD to dump me in vocals, didn't you?" She mock-glared her friends who shrugged and smiled back at her. She sighed. "Alright, whatever. What are we doing?"

"Easy." Miharu said. "_A Thousand Miles._ Vanessa Carlton." Hinata spun around and hit the first notes of the named song. Temari and Ino picked up right after the intro was done, and Tenten's voice rang through the room.

Making my way downtown

Waking fast, faces pass

And I'm homebound

Staring blankly ahead

Making my way, just making my way

Through the crowd

And I need you

And I miss you

And now I wonder

If I could fall into the sky

Do you think time would pass me by

'Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles

If I could just see you

Tonight

It's always times like these

When I think of you and I

Wonder if you ever think of me

'Cause everything's so wrong

And I don't belong living in your

Precious memories

'Cause I'll need you

And I'll miss you

And now I wonder

If I could fall into the sky

Do you think time would pass me by

'Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles

If I could just see you

Tonight

And I, I, don't want to let you know

I, I, drown in your memories

I, I, don't want to let this go

I, I, don't…

Making my way downtown

Waking fast, faces pass

And I'm homebound

Staring blankly ahead

Making my way, just making my way

Through the crowd

And I still need you

And I still miss you

And now I wonder

If I could fall into the sky

Do you think time would pass us by

'Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles

If I could just see you

Ohh...

If I could fall into the sky

Do you think time would pass me by

'Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles

If I could just see you

If I could just hold you

Tonight

Once again, the boys were amazed. Once again, the girls laughed. Kenji shook his head.

"Okay, this is not normal at all. At this point, I doubt anything could surprise me." Miharu looked at him and grinned.

"Let's put that to the test, shall we ladies?" Carefully putting the classical instruments away, the girls pulled out all of the rock instruments. Sakura took vocals this time, Hinata the drums, Ino and Tenten the two guitars, Temari the keyboard, and Miharu bass.

"Alright. Last song, because I'm tired. What are we doing?" Ino said as she yawned.

"Let's do _According to You._ That one is fun." said Tenten. Sakura snorted. The only reason why Tenten liked that song was because of all the random guitar riffs that only she could do without screwing up. Oh yeah, these boys were in for a treat.

"Alright. _According to You _it is." said Temari as she played the first two notes. Ino and Tenten started with the guitars, and Sakura started singing.

According to you

I'm stupid, I'm useless

I can't do anything right

According to you

I'm difficult, hard to please

Forever changing my mind

I'm a mess in a dress

Can't show up on time

Even if it would save my life

According to you

According to you

_But according to him_

_I'm beautiful, incredible_

_He can't get me out of his head_

_According to him_

_I'm funny, irresistible_

_Everything he ever wanted_

_Everything is opposite _

_I don't feel like stopping it_

_So baby tell me what I got to loose_

_He's into me for everything I'm not_

According to you

According to you

I'm boring, I'm moody

And you can't take me anyplace

According to you

I suck at telling jokes

'Cause I always give it away

I'm the girl with the worst attention span

You're the boy who puts up with that

According to you

According to you

_But according to him_

_I'm beautiful, incredible_

_He can't get me out of his head_

_According to him_

_I'm funny, irresistible_

_Everything he ever wanted_

_Everything is opposite _

_I don't feel like stopping it_

_So baby tell me what I got to loose_

_He's into me for everything I'm not_

According to you

To really feel appreciated

Like I'm no hated _Oh no_

_Why can't you see me through his eyes?_

_It's too bad you're making me decide_

But according to me

You're stupid, you're useless

You can't do anything right

_But according to him_

_I'm beautiful, incredible_

_He can't get me out of his head_

_According to him_

_I'm funny, irresistible_

_Everything he ever wanted_

_Everything is opposite _

_I don't feel like stopping it_

_So baby tell me what I got to loose_

_He's into me for everything I'm not_

According to you _You, you_

According to you _You, you_

According to you

I'm stupid, I'm useless

I can't do anything right

Sakura stopped singing and put the mic down. Everyone else put down the instruments and sat down on the floor. Temari was the first one to speak.

"So? What do you think?" the boys were just staring at the girls like they were not normal. Shikamaru was the next to speak.

"You guys are phenomenal. End of discussion. But when do you guys have the time to do that sort of practicing? Between running the store and school, aren't you guys busy?" Miharu nodded from her lying position on the floor.

"Yeah, sometimes we get a bit stressed. But it all works out." Sai nodded for a second.

"Now that you mention it," he said, "you guys never really did tell us why you run a shop."

"Oh yeah, I completely forgot!" Naruto yelled. "So, how about it? What's going on?" Suddenly, the girls looked really uncomfortable. Miharu finally sighed.

"Fine, I guess I'll go first."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hey! I have so much time on my hands that I feel like posting something. Thanks to all my beloved reviwers. You guys really make my day. We pick up with Miharu and Temari's backstories.

* * *

"My story is actually really simple. I was born rich, into a family of four. Two older brothers, Taiki and Michiko. Both of them were graduating when the entire fiasco started, I guess. Taiki was graduating valedictorian of his senior year in high school, about to go on to Konoha University. Michiko was graduating Konoha Academy as valedictorian as well, getting ready for Konoha High. Me? I was still in fifth grade, and I never even liked going to school. I was constantly failing, hoping that I'd get kicked out. Yeah, that didn't quite work out." She turned her head toward the window and looked out at the blue sky.

"My parents never seemed to like me anyway. No matter what I did, they always seemed to pick on me. Then mom died. Shopping trip gone wrong. She got shot, caught in two gunmen's crossfire. Both my brothers were gone by now, moved in to their new schools. I was left alone with dad, who suddenly started having alcohol problems. Day after day he would spend almost a thousand dollars daily on the stuff. Some nights he would come home, and…"

She stopped there to wipe away some stray tears in her eyes. Silently, she rolled up her sleeves to show multiple cuts on he arms. Pulling down her collar, she revealed more cuts and bruises, far past her collar bone. She started talking again, her voice only a whisper, and shaking slightly.

"I-I remember th-the night, so clearly, when Sakura's aunt found me. D-Dad was drinking again, a-and he got really m-mad at me. He got the kitchen knife and cut me a-across the stomach. I ran. Right into Sakura's aunt. She took care of me till she passed. She taught me how to do everything I do now, from tailoring to schoolwork."

Kenji looked at Miharu's shaking form, and hate boiled up inside him. How could anyone do that? To their own child, no less… He looked at Miharu again. She had come across as such a strong willed person, that to think that telling a story could reduce her to tears seemed almost impossible. Yet here she was, silent tears streaming down her face. Wordlessly, he gathered her up in his arms and led her downstairs. She didn't protest, instead she let him take her.

He sat her down in the den, on the long couch in the bay window, where she curled up into a ball. Kenji walked into the kitchen and put some water on the stove to make some tea. Within minuets, he had a steaming cup for both him and Miharu. She took the cup gratefully and sipped it. A small smile graced her features, and she relaxed just a bit. He sat down next to her with his own cup and stared out the window at the setting sun.

"Thank you."

Kenji jumped a bit. Miharu's head was still bowed, but he could hear the sincerity in her voice.

"It's alright. That must have been hard to tell. I really don't think I could have done that if I were you." He paused. "You…you really didn't deserve that as a kid. I just hope that now, you're able to move on." Miharu didn't look up. She didn't say anything. Her body was shaking again, holding back tears that threatened to overflow. Kenji gently took her half finished tea and put it on the table next to him. Silently, in one swift motion, he gathered her up again and just held her close. She finally let her tears fall, releasing years of pent up anger and sorrow all at once.

"You are an amazingly brave girl." Kanji whispered in her ear. "Do not let anyone tell you otherwise. Ever." Finally, as Miharu calmed down, and stayed with Kenji for the rest of the evening, and well into the night; just being together with Kenji made her feel much better about her past. He even stayed with her and made sure she fell asleep. Even as she was drifting off, she could still hear him sitting next to her, singing softly. She smiled as her mind floated off, and she slept without nightmares.

* * *

Back with the others, Temari was beginning her story.

"I was seven or eight," she began, "I remember my younger brother Gaara was about four. The day I left my family was the anniversary of my mother's death. She had died giving birth to Gaara, and my dad never seemed to forgive her for that. So one day, and it seemed so easy for him, he told me and my other brother Kankuro to take off. I shrugged and left. Wandered around for a couple months – or was it a year? Whatever. Didn't know, didn't care. It was actually during the summer when Sakura's awesome aunty found me.

"I was sitting alone on the boardwalk pretty late in the afternoon when cute-as-anything Sakura Haruno – and yes, you damn were that cute back then. Don't know what happened though – comes up to me and asks where my parents were. I told her one was dead and the other didn't want me. Next thing I know, she's crying to her aunty who magically appeared behind me to 'make everything better' or something, and her aunty takes me home to learn the family trade. Haven't had a problem since."

She glanced up from the sheet music she was staring at, and her eyes landed on a Shogi board. Smiling slightly, she sat down at it and absent-mindedly set up the pieces. She looked up again and there was Shikamaru, just daring her to take the first move. Shrugging, she moved a piece and waited. He barely glanced down before moving his piece. Temari's eyes were narrowed into hard slits of concentration until Shikamaru's voice pulled her attention. Both had completely tuned out the conversation that had continued without them.

"I'm going to take a guess that all of you girls went though hell and back when you were kids." He moved a piece. Temari nodded.

"Yup. Pretty much."

"And Sakura's 'amazing aunty' takes all of you in, teaches you everything, and leaves the shop to you."

"Mm-hm." She took one of his.

"And all of you are pretty damn close to being perfect in almost everything."

"I don't wanna brag, but…" Temari shrugged again. "We just try and block out pain. Music does that for us."

"Well you seem to be doing a good job coping with whatever shit life put you though." His fingers lightly rested on the king before pushing it forward a few spaces, and he glanced up at her, smiling wryly. Temari was staring at the board, her eyes glassed over.

"I really didn't want to leave. My brothers were all I had left. No mother, a never-there father, it was just the three of us. A little girl wandering the streets of a big city isn't exactly the safest thing." She moved another piece to the edge of the board. "I saw almost everything before I turned five, from drugs to near-rape to cold blooded murder. The girls used to tell me that I wouldn't talk, I was so mortified. It took them almost a year before I stared talking to them freely."

"Well, you certainly seem to be over it now. Come on, it's your move." Temari glanced up at him and smiled back.


	7. Chapter 7

Once again, back with the others…

Tenten and Ino looked at each other briefly. _Our turn…_

"Tenten and I never knew our parents." Ino began. "All of our memorable childhood was spent in the system. That where I met Tenten. We were both sent to live with these foster parents who had fostered like eight other kids already. We thought we could stay safe there." Tenten scoffed and glared hard at the floor.

"Safe? Yeah right. The minuet the social worker left was the minuet any type of freedom was gone. We couldn't leave the house, nor have any friends over. No more than half an hour of TV and/or music, and only total obedience would be accepted. Next thing we knew, it was work till 2 in the morning. Between school and the shitload of work that had to be done around the house – sorry mansion the size of Central Park – we were always tired." Ino nodded.

"I remember the time when you came stumbling into our room, Tenten. You practically passed out." Neji's eyes shot up.

"Wait, what?" Ino nodded.

"She had a really high fever, and because our foster parents didn't exactly care what happened to us, she walked home in the ice-rain that afternoon. I was wondering what was taking her so long to get home if I was already here, and then there she was, water running off her in rivers and shivering like nothing else. It took me forever to get the right medicine for her to get better." Tenten slightly punched her in the arm.

"Yeah that was bad. Almost like the time you inhaled too much chemical fumes and ended up in the hospital. When they demanded a physical check over of the both of us, it was paragraphs of overwork and exhaustion diagnosis. I actually thank God for that, because if you weren't in the hospital, Sakura's aunt wouldn't have found us and pressed child labor charges." Ino gave a weak giggle and turned to Sai.

"Hey, can you help me find those review cards?" Said boy jumped up and nodded, following the blond out toward the limo. Neji and Tenten stood up as well, but left for the roof.

"You know, the doctors said that she might have suffered some internal brain damage." Tenten said, looking over the edge of the guard rail at her friend far below. "They said that she might end up any which way, from tiny mood swings to losing the ability to speak or walk. Sakura's aunt did so much besides take us in. She made sure that Ino got the medical help she needed. She used to take pills, you know." She turned to Neji, who had leaned up on the rail as well. His eyebrow shot up. _Now_ he knew. "When I got sick, she had to look after me, my homework, the house, and pleasing our foster parents. Same thing for me when she was in the hospital. The work overload was sometimes more than we could handle, and we got sick. I hated feeling useless, like I wasn't important enough to them to even bother mentioning. I hated watching Ino suffer. I remember wanting to kill myself at one time or another, but I never could because that would be just plain cruel to Ino. After we moved in with Sakura and her aunt, we finally got strong enough to hold our own through a week. Then when everyone else came, it was just a lot of fun to be alive."

Neji was silently looking at the girl besides him, and then down at his friend down below, fooling around with Ino in the limo. He looked back at Tenten, who was staring into the sky.

"Tenten."

She turned to him.

"Don't ever think that you are useless, or that you are not important. You were put on this earth for a reason, you just haven't found out what yet. But you will, one day."

She smiled softly and buried her face into his shoulder. She felt his arms wrap safely around her, and heard his heart through his shirt.

Ino looked up through the sunroof of the limo and nearly squealed when she saw her friend hugging Neji. Sai's eyes followed where she was looking and snickered and Ino snapped a photo.

"You know neither of them are going to like that." He said, motioning to the phone. Ino giggled and stretched out on the leather seats.

"Eh… she'll get over it. Besides, she won't know." Sai watched as Ino started flipping through the flash cards, humming a familiar tune. One that he hadn't heard since he was a kid.

"_My Heart Will Go On_? From _Titanic_?" She smiled and nodded.

"The first movie me and the girls watched together as a family. The last one that Sakura's aunt ever watched with us."

"Wait-"

"She was killed, shot three times in the chest and once in the head. Barely two months after Sakura's twelfth birthday."

"No way! After everything you went through as kids…then some bastard takes away the one thing that makes you happy?!" Sai was unusually mad – no livid – at how these girls had to live. Ino only nodded.

"Sakura was devastated. But we had to keep working for food and clothes. And for the funeral."

"So… how did you manage to be good at so many things?" Sai was genuinely confused. Of course, he and the boys all had family, so coping with death wasn't something they specialized in.

"Long hours of practice. Little sleep. Taking on close to impossible jobs and making them work. Anything to keep our mind off the fact that the only person who ever really cared for us was gone. That's our escape." Ino dropped the cards into her bag and put it beside her. Sai moved closer to her and pulled her into his lap.

"That's not fair at all… but you're here now. Please, let us help." Ino looked at him.

"We're used to working for ourselves…"

"True, but everyone needs help sometimes."

Ino studied Sai's face. He wasn't joking. He really wanted to do anything to make her feel better. She smiled and nodded.

"Alright. Just this once."


End file.
